Scottish Executive

Alzheimer's Disease

Alasdair Morgan (South of Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what consideration it has given to the reclassification of Alzheimer's disease as a terminal illness.

Mr Tom McCabe: None. The UK health services use the International Classification of Diseases by the World Health Organisation for all medical conditions, including mental illnesses.

Birds

Rob Gibson (Highlands and Islands) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it plans to classify black grouse, ptarmigan, red grouse and partridge as protected species of wild birds as defined by the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981.

Allan Wilson: Other than the measures contained in the Nature Conservation Bill, there are currently no plans to give these species additional protection under the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981.

Care Commission

Christine Grahame (South of Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S2W-4301 by Mr Tom McCabe on 5 December 2003 indicating that the first review of the Care Commission will take place in 2007, whether it will now review the commission on an annual basis.

Mr Tom McCabe: No. It would not be possible to deliver good regulation aimed at improving the quality of care for vulnerable people if the organisation responsible for that regulation was subject to a root-and-branch review every year.

Carers

Cathy Peattie (Falkirk East) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive what consideration it has given to the training of carers in lifting and handling techniques.

Mr Tom McCabe: The Scottish Executive issued guidance (CCD 2/2003) in March 2003 to local authorities, NHSScotland and the voluntary sector advising on new legislative measures to support unpaid carers contained in the Community Care and Health (Scotland) Act 2002. A fundamental principle underpinning the act and its associated guidance is that carers are key partners in the provision of care and as such need resources to help them in their caring role. Resources can include practical support or training. It is up to local authorities and health boards, working in partnership with local carers, to agree the provision of support services for carers. I understand that some Princess Royal Trust Carer Centres, which receive funding from local authorities and health boards, are already conducting local training of carers in moving and handling techniques.

Dentistry

Mr David Davidson (North East Scotland) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive what its definition is of an outreach centre for dental training.

Mr Tom McCabe: Outreach centres for dental student training should allow an alternative training experience. This would preferably be an experience which is different from the base dental hospital. Students using such centres could learn and develop in either a clinical or non-clinical environment.

  Our vision of the Aberdeen centre is in development with Grampian Health Board but should include significant clinical facilities where students could offer patients the full range of clinical treatment.

  We are encouraging Grampian to view this as primary care oriented outreach facilities to complement the skills developed in dental hospitals.

  Dundee and Glasgow Dental Schools are advising on how their students could obtain most benefit from such facilities.

Dentistry

Mr David Davidson (North East Scotland) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive what the average number is of NHS patients on dental practice lists, expressed also as a percentage of the average total number of patients on such lists.

Mr Tom McCabe: The average number of NHS patients on general dental practice lists in Scotland at 31 December 2003 was 2,730.

  It is not possible to express this number as a percentage of the average total number of patients on such lists, as information on non-NHS patients is not centrally available.

Dentistry

Mr David Davidson (North East Scotland) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive what plans it has for a review of dental materials approved for use under the NHS dental services contract for primary care.

Mr Tom McCabe: We have no current plans for a review of dental materials approved for use under NHS general dental services, however, we are currently conducting an extensive consultation on the future of NHS dental services in Scotland.

Economy

Mr David Davidson (North East Scotland) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive when it will publish its plans with regard to the diversification of the Banff and Buchan economy following its fishing decommissioning scheme.

Mr Jim Wallace: A partnership of Scottish Enterprise Grampian, Aberdeenshire Council and Communities Scotland has already put in place the "Building Buchan New Beginnings" action plan. This local action plan aims to focus their collective resources on building sustainable communities throughout the Buchan area.

Europe

Maureen Macmillan (Highlands and Islands) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will report on the outcome of the Agriculture and Fisheries Council held in Brussels on 24 February 2004.

Allan Wilson: The Irish Presidency presented its work programme for the first half of the year. Their general priorities were enlargement, simplification and enhancement of food safety.

  On agriculture, the Council noted progress on technical level discussions preparatory to political discussion at the April Council on the proposals for a regulation on the protection of animals during transport. During discussion, the UK supported the need for an early agreement.

  The Council took note of a report from the Commission on its public hearing on 22 January 2004 on organic food and farming. This is preparatory to the tabling of an action plan by the Commission to the Council later in the Irish Presidency.

  The Council noted a report from the Greek Minister about severe weather conditions in Greece affecting agriculture, and the sympathetic response from the Commission. Greece and the Commission will pursue the assessment of this situation bilaterally.

  The Council also noted a presentation from the Commission on its proposals for the agriculture, rural development and fisheries elements of the financial perspective.

  Under any other business, the Council noted a written report on BSE and reports from Commissioner Byrne on the current situation in regard to Avian Influenza in Asia and a recent outbreak in the US. Commissioner Byrne notified the Council that acting under comitology procedures, the Commission was to introduce a ban on the importation of live poultry and certain products from the US. The Council also noted a report from Spain and Portugal about the high level of feed grain prices and indications from Finland and Sweden that there remained supplies of oats which could be used.

  The Council noted information from Italy and Portugal with support from other wine producing countries about recent changes made to the use of traditional terms for wine imported from third countries; and also that the Commission had explained these changes were necessary to take account of recent discussions at World Trade Organization level.

  Information from France about the low level of milk prices was noted. A wide range of views were expressed in subsequent discussion, the UK making the point that a fall in milk prices was to be expected as a result of the changes agreed last June. Farmers would, however, get compensation through direct payments which would be introduced shortly. The Commission undertook to produce an analysis of the situation with assistance from the member states.

  Finally, the Commission amplified the terms of a letter which it had recently sent to all member states about the single farm payment to explain that it was making the point that member states which chose to operate on regional or hybrid models would need to justify this decision to the Commission, as will be clarified in the Commission implementing regulations. This was noted by the Council.

  On fisheries, the Council agreed by a qualified majority a regulation providing for tariff quotas for the importation of certain fishery products. The UK supported the proposal.

Fire Safety

Donald Gorrie (Central Scotland) (LD): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will consider transferring the responsibility for fire safety inspection in care homes to the fire service.

Mr Tom McCabe: The Scottish Executive will await the outcome of the inquiry into the Rosepark tragedy before considering what, if any, changes need to be made to the current arrangements.

Higher and Further Education

Fiona Hyslop (Lothians) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what the current non-completion rates are for higher and further education courses and what steps it is taking to reduce these figures.

Mr Jim Wallace: The Higher Education Funding Council for England (HEFCE) publish performance indicators for all UK higher education institutions (HEIs) annually. The latest figures show that 10% of full-time first degree entrants to Scottish HEIs in 2000-01 failed to continue after their year of entry.

  The mechanisms in place to support students to the successful completion of a higher education qualification are the responsibility of HEIs themselves; these are supported through Scottish Higher Education Funding Council (SHEFC) grants for teaching and learning. The nature of these support mechanisms is not determined by SHEFC, as they are based on the local circumstances and priorities of the institution in question. However, SHEFC introduced its Widening Access Premium in 2001-02 in order to support institutions in improving the retention and progression of students from under represented areas. The total allocated to the sector through this grant in 2003-04 is £4,236,000.

  In August 2003, the Scottish Further Education Funding Council (SFEFC) published performance indicators charting the achievements of Scotland’s 46 further education colleges, in relation to the academic year 2001-02. The performance indicators show that 85% of students staying at college beyond the first quarter of their course completed their programmes.

  The performance indicators enable individual colleges to benchmark their own achievement against that of other colleges and thus lead to quality improvement. SFEFC recently consulted on proposals for its future approach to quality improvement and assurance. SFEFC has agreed to proceed with changes to achieve a differentiated review model, with greater emphasis on the effectiveness of student learning. A working group has been set up to manage the detailed development of the review methodology.

Homelessness

Christine Grahame (South of Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive, with reference to the Pathfinder Inspection Report on East Lothian Council by Communities Scotland, what concerns it has in respect of the council achieving its own quota for homelessness allocations.

Ms Margaret Curran: I have asked Angiolina Foster, Chief Executive of Communities Scotland, to respond. Her response is as follows:

  As set out in section 7 of the Pathfinder Inspection Report, the Executive’s concern in relation to this issue is primarily about the weaknesses in management information available from the local authority. This meant that the local authority was not able to provide reliable information to Communities Scotland Inspectors showing what outcomes were being achieved for homeless people applying to the council for housing. These weaknesses also meant the local authority could not clearly demonstrate whether it was achieving its own quota for allocations to homeless people.

Housing

Mike Pringle (Edinburgh South) (LD): To ask the Scottish Executive what its response is to the interim report of the Barker Review of Housing Supply, Securing Our Future Housing Needs, and whether it will institute a similar review focussing specifically, and in more detail, on the future needs for housing in Scotland.

Ms Margaret Curran: The Executive has been in close touch with the work of the Barker Review Team and has noted the content of its interim report. It will consider any implications for Scotland of the final report when it is published in the spring. There are no plans for a separate review in Scotland.

Land Reform (Scotland) Act 2003

Dr Elaine Murray (Dumfries) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive what representations it has received from dog walkers in respect of the Scottish Outdoor Access Code and whether it intends to make any changes to the code as a result.

Allan Wilson: We have received no representations concerning issues relating to dog walkers in respect of the proposed Scottish Outdoor Access Code.

  Part 1 of the Land Reform (Scotland) Act 2003 requires Scottish Natural Heritage (SNH) to draw up the Scottish Outdoor Access Code. SNH consulted on a draft Code and received and considered comments from a wide variety of groups and individuals, which included dog walkers, before submitting the code to ministers on 21 January.

  We are currently considering the proposed code and hope to submit it to Parliament for its approval in the near future.

Ministerial Correspondence

Mr Kenneth Macintosh (Eastwood) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive what its performance in answering ministerial correspondence was in the fourth quarter of 2003.

Ms Patricia Ferguson: In the answer given to question S1W-24583 on 28 March 2002, I undertook to continue to report quarterly on the numbers of letters received by ministers and our performance in answering them. This is the third quarter in which I am reporting performance on letters only and not invitations.

  In the quarter October to December 2003, 2,706 letters were received for ministerial reply of which 75% received a reply within 17 working days, and 89% received a reply within 25 working days. In the same period ministers received 589 invitations.

National Health Service

Mr Brian Monteith (Mid Scotland and Fife) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S2W-2866 by Malcolm Chisholm on 6 October 2003, how much the healthyliving line cost to run in each month since September 2003.

Mr Tom McCabe: The operational costs for the healthy living line from 1 September 2003 to 31 January 2004 are presented in the table.

  Operational Costs for the Healthy Living Line (September 2003 – January 2004)

  

 Month
 Cost 
  (ex VAT)


 September
 £41,131.70


 October
 £53,657.59


 November
 £53,067.10


 December
 £58,995.01


 January
 £78,525.40



  All costs are excluding VAT. The January figure includes £69,470 of transfer costs as the line was transferred from Essentia to NHS24 on 6 January 2004. We expect the costs to drop significantly now.

  We expected call traffic to fall off when the main advertising ceased in October. The TV adverts have hit home – recording 80% awareness levels in the general population at the start of the campaign and 76% before advertising ceased in October (NHS Health Scotland Communications Tracking Survey (BMRB International)).

  If we are to bring about cultural change in our diets we must empower the people of Scotland to make healthier choices. The healthyliving advice line and website are a way of sharing information and building skills and confidence.

  The success of the healthyliving initiative will not be measured simply by the number of calls to the line or hits on the web. Many people will have made changes to their diet and lifestyle without having used the helpline or web site.

  Success will be measured over time by whether we improve our health by eating the right foods and adopting a more active lifestyle. We implore all sections of Scottish society to take a broad view of the wide range of actions that are required to achieve success.

Physiotherapy

Mr Bruce McFee (West of Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive how many physiotherapy course places were available at universities and how many applicants for such places there were in each year since 1999.

Mr Jim Wallace: Applications and acceptances to physiotherapy courses in Scottish Higher Education Institutions, 1998 to 2003, are included in the following table.

  

 Year
 1998
 1999
 2000
 2001
 2002
 2003


 Applications
 2,136
 1,902
 1,902
 1,695
 1,665
 1,767


 Applicants Accepted
 165
 168
 169
 162
 194
 173


 % Accepted
 8
 9
 9
 10
 12
 10



  Source: UCAS (Universities and Colleges Admissions Service).

  Data is not available on the number of physiotherapy places offered.

  The Scottish Higher Education Funding Council funds student places through 13 funding subject groups including the other health and welfare category, from which physiotherapy places are funded. The council does not allocate places or funding to specific courses within funding subject groups, which is at the discretion of higher education institutions (HEIs).

  Correspondingly, there is no fixed level of course places for physiotherapy, as HEIs have the flexibility within the broader subject group to increase the level of provision for specific courses, reflecting demand in any particular year.

Physiotherapy

Mr Bruce McFee (West of Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive how many physiotherapy course places are available at universities for 2004-05 and how many students have applied for such places.

Mr Jim Wallace: I refer the member to the answer to question S2W-6063 on 26 February 2004. All answers to written questions are available on the Parliament’s website, the search facility for which can be found at http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/webapp/wa.search .

  There is no information available about the number of planned course places for physiotherapy in Scotland for 2004-05.

  Final application figures will be available from the Universities and Colleges Admissions Service after June 2004, and thereafter candidates may apply through the clearing system.

Regulation of Care

Mr Adam Ingram (South of Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S2W-5522 by Mr Tom McCabe on 3 February 2004, why the average weekly cost per resident with a mental illness in residential care units operated by local authorities is higher than the equivalent average weekly cost per resident in (a) private and (b) voluntary sector residential care units.

Mr Tom McCabe: Section 22 of the National Assistance Act 1948 requires local authorities to set the fees for local authority care home places at an amount equivalent to the full cost to the authority of providing them. The costs of independent sector care home places are simply the negotiated contract rates agreed between the local authority and the provider.

Student Finance

Fiona Hyslop (Lothians) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what the total outstanding debt is to the student loans company from people still domiciled in Scotland.

Mr Jim Wallace: The information requested is given on table number 6, page number 58 of the Student Loans Company annual report 2001-02, published by the Student Loans Company in 2003, a copy of which is available in the Parliament’s Reference Centre (Bib. number 30921). The Student Loans Company annual report 2002-03 will soon be published and copies will be placed in the Parliament’s Reference Centre.

Student Finance

Fiona Hyslop (Lothians) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what estimate it has made of the average cost to a person of undertaking further education, taking into account any (a) contribution towards fees, (b) graduate endowment obligation, (c) foregone earnings whilst studying and (d) other costs.

Mr Jim Wallace: The cost to each student will vary depending upon the personal circumstances of the individual, where they are studying within the UK, and the level and length of their course. The Scottish Executive is, therefore, unable to provide an estimate of the average cost to a person undertaking a course in further education. The graduate endowment does not apply to further education students.

  The Executive is about to commission a Scottish-based student income and expenditure survey. This survey will provide comprehensive data on the incomes, expenditure and anticipated debt on graduation of a nationally representative sample of full-time and part-time undergraduate students studying in Scotland and attending publicly funded higher education and further education institutions during the academic year 2004-05.

Student Finance

Fiona Hyslop (Lothians) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what estimate it has made of the average cost to a person of undertaking higher education, taking into account any (a) contribution towards fees, (b) graduate endowment obligation, (c) foregone earnings whilst studying and (d) other costs.

Mr Jim Wallace: The cost to each student will vary depending upon the personal circumstances of the individual, where they are studying within the UK and the level and length of their course. The Scottish Executive is, therefore, unable to provide an estimate of the average cost to a person undertaking a course in higher education. The level of the graduate endowment is fixed at the beginning of the course and we estimate that up to 50% of graduates will be exempt.

  The Executive is about to commission a Scottish-based student income and expenditure survey. This survey will provide comprehensive data on the incomes, expenditure and anticipated debt on graduation of a nationally representative sample of full time and part time undergraduate students studying in Scotland and attending publicly funded higher education and further education Institutions during the academic year 2004-05.

Student Finance

Fiona Hyslop (Lothians) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what the current real term value is of the maximum student grant available in (a) 1979, (b) 1988 and (c) 1997.

Mr Jim Wallace: The figures requested are shown in the table:

  Maximum Student Grant Available

  

 Year
 Amount of Grant
 Value in 2003 
  Prices*


 1979
 £1,245
 £3,981


 1988
 £1,990
 £3,375


 1997
 £1,685
 £1,940



  Note: *Using the retail price index as a deflator.

  The maximum level of grant was frozen in 1990 with the introduction of mortgage style student loans. The level of grant was reduced and the maximum level of loan increased between 1994-95 and 1997-98 until the maximum support available was made up equally of grant and loan.

Student Finance

Fiona Hyslop (Lothians) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what the average level of debt has been for new graduates in each year since 1990.

Mr Jim Wallace: The table shows the average graduate debt since 1999.

  

 Cohort
 Average 
  Debt


 1999
 £2,863


 2000
 £3,174


 2001
 £3,876


 2002
 £4,294


 2003
 £4,924



  Source: Student Loans Company (SLC).

  Statistics on debt were not maintained by SLC until the introduction of income contingent repayment loans in 1998.

Student Finance

Fiona Hyslop (Lothians) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what the average student loan debt has been for graduates from (a) honours degree, (b) ordinary degree and (c) sub-degree level study when entering repayment status in each year for which figures are available.

Mr Jim Wallace: This information is not held centrally.

Student Finance

Fiona Hyslop (Lothians) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what effect the graduate endowment is predicted to have on the repayment of student loans.

Mr Jim Wallace: The amount of student loan that a graduate repays each month and the period of time over which repayments are made are linked to the level of the borrower’s income and the amount borrowed. Under the support arrangements introduced in 2001-02, many students who will be liable to pay the endowment when they graduate will have been eligible to receive the Young Students Bursary in place of part of their loan entitlement. Most liable graduates will have borrowed less under these arrangements than they would have had under the previous system. No student should have borrowed more.

Student Finance

Fiona Hyslop (Lothians) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what additional costs will be incurred by the Student Loans Company if tuition fees in England and Wales are deregulated and what effect this will have on Scottish students.

Mr Jim Wallace: Any costs incurred by the Student Loans Company (SLC) are met on a proportional basis by Her Majesty’s Government and the devolved administrations, based on the numbers of borrowers who were domiciled in each country when they received their loan and value of those loans. Any additional development costs incurred by SLC as a result of policy changes by one administration are generally met by that administration.

  While costs incurred by SLC have financial implications for student support budgets they do not have any direct effect on students. Student loan borrowers only begin to repay their loans when they have left full-time education and earn more than the specified income threshold. The amount to be repaid is uprated by inflation to ensure that it is the same, in real terms, as the amount borrowed.

Student Finance

Fiona Hyslop (Lothians) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what research it has carried out into the effects of tuition fees and the graduate endowment scheme on attitudes towards study in further and higher education.

Mr Jim Wallace: In July, 1999, the Scottish Executive commissioned an independent committee of inquiry, headed by Mr Andrew Cubie, to conduct a comprehensive review of student finance, which in turn commissioned research to inform its report. Since then the Scottish Executive has not conducted research specifically on the effects of tuition fees and the graduate endowment scheme on attitudes towards study in further and higher education. However, the Executive continues to make use of work conducted by academics and other researchers in the field of further and higher education regarding student finance and possible barriers to participation. We also maintain close links with officials in DfES.

Scottish Parliamentary Corporate Body

Scottish Parliament Staff

Margo MacDonald (Lothians) (Ind): To ask the Scottish Parliamentary Corporate Body whether it plans to extend the present contract of employment of the Parliament’s Clerk and Chief Executive until after Lord Fraser’s inquiry into the Holyrood project has been completed.

Mr George Reid: : The SPCB is contractually bound to review the current contract it has with the Clerk/Chief Executive and will do so shortly.